Saturday, November 26, 2011

Here we are in Advent, the word, in Latin, means coming or arrival. The arrival for which we are preparing, of course is the Baby Jesus at Christmas time. However, we live in very interesting times. In terms of history we live in that interval between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. For several weeks now we have been hearing readings about the end of the world, our Gospel today picks up on that same theme: Watch! Be Alert! Truly the day is coming. And while we normally associate Advent with the season where we prepare to celebrate the feast of Christmas, the prayers from our Mass today remind us that these first few weeks of Advent get us ready to welcome Christ when he comes at the end of time.

I know that today's Mass is a bit difficult for all of us. I heard a few "And also with you's" during the Mass. These are new words and they will take us some time to get used to them. But, because these words are so new the make us go a bit slower and perhaps think a bit more about what we are saying. This can be a very good thing.

As I was getting ready for Mass this week I wanted to practice the prayers a few times to be sure I wouldn't stumble when I read them. I was amazed at how beautiful the opening prayer from today's Mass really is. But, not only is it beautiful it teaches us something very important about Jesus and his second coming:

Grant your faithful, we pray,

almighty God,

the resolve to run forth to meet

your Christ

with righteous deeds at his coming,

so that, gathered at his right hand,

they may be worthy to possess the

heavenly kingdom.

Here is the old prayer:

All-powerful God,

increase our strength of will for

doing good

that Christ may find an eager

welcome at his coming

and call us to his side in the kingdom

of heaven.

There is a big difference between these two prayers. In the older prayer it makes it sound like we are sitting back waiting for Christ to come so we can give him an eager welcome, which, of course we should do. However, in the new translation it tells us exactly what this eager welcome looks like: the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds. There is an amazing difference in these two prayers: in the older prayer there is no activity, in the new prayer we are running forth to meet Christ.

I think this is exactly what Advent is all about! It reminds us that we are expecting Christ's return. Every year, therefore, we get a bit of a reminder that we cannot simply be sitting on our laurels waiting for Jesus to come back. Rather, we run forth to meet him with righteous deeds. Can each of us say we are really running forth with righteous deeds to meet Christ? If not, this is a great time of year to take a look at our lives, our actions, our thoughts, to purify them, weed out sin, and replace sin with righteous deeds. And the stakes are high: the prayer says that only those who meet Christ this way may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom. What of those who are not only not running forth to meet Christ, but those who are sitting in the stagnancy of their sins? Watch, be alert! To them this sounds like a threat, but to those who are running to meet Christ this sounds like a promise: I will be with you soon.

Now all of this sounds great, but it might be a bit discouraging. It's hard to live lives of holiness, to run forth to meet Christ with righteous deeds. Listen again to the second reading: He will keep you firm to the end! It is Christ who does the good within us, Christ who gives us strength. It is Christ who tells us to watch, but it is also Christ who opens our eyes. The opening prayer begins: grant your faithful we pray! In other words, it is all a gift of Grace. We run forth to meet Christ through the power of Christ. As I mentioned at the beginning we live in an interesting period of time. We live between the two comings of Jesus. We await the second coming with hope because of the first coming. We run forth to meet Christ with righteous deeds only through the power of that first coming, the power that Christ brought into the world. So with hearts desiring God's grace and power so as to change our lives so we can be ready to meet Christ when he comes again we pray this opening prayer again!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Solemnity of Christ the King 2011 year A:

Brief introduction: Pius XI instituted this feast of Christ the King in 1925. He started this feast as a way to address the problem of secularism in the world, a problem which has only gotten worse since 1925. Today we proclaim that Christ is truly king. This is not simply a matter of private belief, rather Christ is king of all nations and all times, all peoples, believers and unbelievers alike. What do we do to extend the reign of Christ? Do we bring Christ into the social sphere? If we accept Christ as our Lord and King, it must have an impact on the way we live our lives. So how do we accept Christ as King? Our Gospel passage helps us.

Here is Christ seated on his throne in his glory to bring his judgment upon the earth. If you can hear this passage without getting the slightest bit worried, great! Let me know after Mass because I want to start following you around and becoming like you! If you are like me you hear this passage and think of the many times I may have walked past someone in need. The many times I have omitted the good I knew I should have done. And, even more scary, the passage makes it seem as though the accursed are in trouble for things that they were not even aware they were not doing. How terrifying! We might be messing up, neglecting Christ and we don't even know it. Perhaps it is just proof that I must be a sort of glass half empty kind of person, but when I read this passage I get scared.

However, I want to call your attention to a unique structure of this reading. We notice that the sheep are called blessed, while the goats are called accursed. When I was reading this passage I knew that that sounded familiar. Where had I heard of blessing and cursing? So I went through my Bible and found this interesting passage from Deuteronomy 27 where God outlines a bunch of blessings and curses for those who follow the covenant. So what we have here in this judgment scene is an explanation of the covenant: all those who enter into the covenant of Christ will be blessed, those who do not will be cursed. Because it is a covenant, we must always remember that it is God who initiates the covenant. Everything we do is a response to his love. One thing this passage never mentions is why we should love Christ in others: because Christ has first loved us.

So this scene is a scene of covenant, and covenant is a free response to the love of Christ. However, look at how amazing this covenant is, it is open to everyone. We remember that in the Old Testament God makes a covenant with his people Israel, but in Christ this covenant is a covenant with the whole human race, there is no person who is excluded. Every single person on earth has a chance to enter into this covenant, even if they do not know Christ, or have never heard of him: When did we minister to your needs? They didn't know they were following the covenant of Christ, but all those who love their neighbor are living in response to the covenant.

Christ is the King, but he does not come as the tyrant. Christ will judge, but he is not looking to condemn. Christ is the king, but he comes as a shepherd to lay his life down for his sheep. If we contemplate Christ as King and his great love for us, the only response is love. This passage of judgment might frighten us, but I think if we take Christ as our King, if we reflect on the love with which he loves us, rather than frighten us, this passage will inspire us to be found among the sheep where we will hear: come blessed of my Father. This message is a beautiful one, one that we should share with the whole world. Christ is the king of the whole world, not just the king of Christians. If we accept Christ, we should want to share him with the world.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Today I'm off to Warsaw to give a talk at the diocesan Catechetical Institute Day. I was asked to give a talk on Scripture and Liturgy. I have decided to make the case that Liturgy is Scriptural, and Scripture is Liturgical. I thought I would post it here as well.

Scripture and Liturgy:

First of all, why give a talk on Scripture and Liturgy? It seems as though both of these things are quite important in our spiritual life. So that might be a good first reason. But, why not give a talk on either Scripture or Liturgy? Why Scripture and Liturgy? I want to argue that Scripture and Liturgy grow from the same source and have the same goal. The source is God's will to reveal himself to us, the goal is the praise of God.

Let's get at some definitions. Liturgy: CCC 1068

It is this mystery of Christ that the Church proclaims and celebrates in her liturgy so that the faithful may live from it and bear witness to it in the world: (SC 2)

For it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that "the work of our redemption is accomplished," and it is through the liturgy especially that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.

This is a good beginning for us when discussing the liturgy. It is proclaiming and celebrating the mystery of Christ. Notice how that is purposefully vague: what does it mean to celebrate and proclaim Christ? Who is Christ? He is the Son of God sent from the Father to bring reconciliation to mankind, which he does by his perfect act of worship on the Cross. If I had to boil it down to one sentence that is what you get: Christ comes from God to bring reconciliation, which he does by worship on the Cross. Therefore, if the liturgy celebrates and proclaims this mystery it should do this as well. It comes from God to bring reconciliation, which it does by the representation of the sacrifice of the cross, which is a perfect act of worship.

As you all know we are preparing to use a new translation of the Roman Missal. It is important to remember that this is not a new Mass, not a new liturgy. It is a new translation of the same Mass, the same liturgy. But, one of the great side effects of having this new translation is that we are, hopefully, getting a new appreciation for the Mass. Now that we will have to go a bit slower and more carefully respond and pray in the mass, we might want to stop and reflect on the nature of the Mass. Do we see it as reconciliation from God by the work of the cross? I often hear complaints: I just don't get anything out of the mass. This is a huge problem, because first and foremost liturgy is an act of God. In other words, it's not about us. The more we remember that the liturgy is an entering into the work of Christ, the more we will get out of it; but, if we think of the liturgy as something meant primarily for us as individuals it will never match up to football games or Broadway shows as a means of entertainment. If we are there to be entertained, we will be bored. If we come there to worship and enter into the very mystery of Christ, we will be enriched.

Here is a definition of liturgy that I had to memorize in seminary: The liturgy is a complexus of sensible signs by means of which, God, in Christ and through Christ, in the Church and through the Church, sanctifies man; and Man, in the Church and through the Church, in Christ and through Christ, renders worship to God. Here are the two movements of the liturgy I have been speaking about: first God moves toward us, in Christ and through Christ, in the Church and through the Church to sanctify humanity, and humanity, in Christ and through Christ, in the Church and through the Church, renders worship to God. Do you see how it is a celebration and proclamation of the very mystery of Christ: Christ comes from the Father to bring reconciliation by his very presence among us (sanctification), this reconciliation is made complete when he offers himself on the cross as the spotless victim (worship). This is what we do at Mass; rather, this is what God does at Mass and we are privileged enough to enter into this saving mystery.

Scripture:

Word of God: St. John's gospel tells us that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. He existed before all things, but in our days he became incarnate of the Virgin and was born. We have always called Jesus Christ the word of God, the second person of the Trinity. Calling Jesus the Word of God means that he is the thought of God, the mind of God, the substance of the divine mind. These terms are analogies because God is a mystery. Exactly how the three persons of God exist in their unity is a mysterious notion. However, we are very sure when we say that Jesus is the Word of God. But we also call the Bible the Word of God. One way to think of the Bible is that it is Jesus, written down. Not just Jesus' words written down, but more like his very person. Remember that the Word of God is exactly that, it is God's word. This means that our human minds cannot really comprehend God's own word. This is why Jesus came to us as a human being, so that we could understand him. Likewise, the Bible comes to us in human language so that we can comprehend it. So we can say that the Bible is the Word of God written down in human language.

Revelation: Jesus came to show us the way to the Father. The Word of God, for us, is a word that tells us about the Father. In other words, the Word is revelation. Through the Word, God makes himself known to us. WE can see this in the Old Testament, through Moses and the Prophets God revealed himself. In our own days, this Word of God became man and dwelt among us. Instead of working through mediators, God became one of us and directly revealed himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ. In his very person, Jesus reveals God to us. In his coming as a meek and humble baby, Jesus reveals God's humility. In his sage wisdom and advice, Jesus reveals God's wisdom. In his death on the cross, Jesus reveals God's love. In his resurrection, Jesus reveals God's mercy. So, Jesus, without even saying anything, reveals to us much about God. So we have to remember that revelation is not simply words on a paper; rather, revelation is God revealing God to us. Sometimes he uses words, like the Law or the sayings of Jesus, sometimes he just uses actions: both those of the OT and the NT. It is important to remember this as we transition into talking about the Bible.

One good definition for the Bible is that it is God's revelation written down for us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Bible helps us to know who God is. The whole of the Bible gives us an insight into who God is and what his relationship is with us.

Revelation is God revealing himself to us. The Word of God is Jesus Christ, who reveals the Father to us. The Bible is revelation, it is the Word of God, written down in human language. Therefore, the Bible is not just any other book; rather, it is holy, it is God's Word, it is the revelation of God's love for us written down by the power of the Holy Spirit and put into human language. So, the first thing we need to do when we approach the Bible is to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves. It truly is a holy book.

Now, you are probably already seeing the similarities between the liturgy and the Bible. These two are united because of Christ. The liturgy is the celebration and proclamation of the mystery of Christ. The Scripture is the Word of God written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God reveals God, the Word reveals that God, in Christ, is reconciling us to himself through the power of the cross. Both Scripture and Liturgy get to the heart of the very mystery of Christ, no wonder then that they have so much in common. But, I want to explore not only what they have in common, but their interrelation. My thesis going forward is that Liturgy is Scriptural, and Scripture is liturgical. We will want to keep our definitions in mind as we go forward.

First, liturgy is scriptural. One thing you might notice as we prepare for the new translation of the Roman Missal is that some of the scriptural allusions will become a bit clearer. But, this is not to say that the old translation didn't have scriptural allusions. Let's look at a few places where the Liturgy is quite scriptural.

The opening dialogue is quite scriptural. We start in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This comes right from Matthew's gospel: Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We begin our Christian lives with the sign of the cross at the savior's command, now we start Mass with the same sign, which comes to us from the Bible. Romans 1:7 to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We respond, and with your spirit. 2 Timothy 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you. We see already that the liturgy receives its voice from the Word of God.

Also, we relive much of what takes place in the Bible, even if we don't quote it directly. For example, one thing I have come to value as a priest are the quite prayers I say during Mass. These prayers are designed to help me remember to pray and to participate in these sacred mysteries. But, they also remind me of my unworthiness and my need for God's presence in my life. If, however, a Deacon is not present, the Priest, bowing before the altar, says quietly:

"Then I said, "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it. "See," he said, "now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged" (Is 6:5-7)

I am about to proclaim the Good News, about to stand in the long chain of prophets stretching back to the Old Testament, I am formed by the Word of God as I remember that my lips need to be cleansed like those of Isaiah. Quite beautiful.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. 29

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. Isa 6.3 and Matt 21.9

Of course, the Words of institution are Biblical. They might not be direct quotes from a certain gospel, but they are formed and informed by the Tradition that is kept in the gospel accounts. So you see the words of the liturgy are informed by the Word of God. Hence the introduction to the Lord's prayer: At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching we dare to say: Our Father. Formed by divine teaching, the Liturgy is formed by the Scriptures.

However, this is not the only role that scripture plays in the liturgy, of course. There is the liturgy of the word. Sacrosanctum Concilium has some important things to say about Scripture and its role in the liturgy.

7. To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, "the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross" [20], but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes [21]. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20) .

24. Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers, collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their force, and it is from the scriptures that actions and signs derive their meaning. Thus to achieve the restoration, progress, and adaptation of the sacred liturgy, it is essential to promote that warm and living love for scripture to which the venerable tradition of both eastern and western rites gives testimony.

51. The treasures of the bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way a more representative portion of the Holy Scriptures will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years.

So the Scriptures are a part of the Liturgy. When they are read in the Liturgy it is Christ who speaks to us through them. Now remember that we have seen that the liturgy has a two-fold purpose: sanctification of man and the worship of God. It is easy to see how the Scripture sanctifies man, we hear the proclamation of the good news, we are encouraged to right conduct, we are inspired and consoled in difficult times, etc. How is the Scripture liturgical?

Well it would take more time than I have to go through everything I have thought on this matter, but I would like to boil it down.

First, it is interesting to me to think about where the Bible comes from. Do you know how we got the Bible we have? It is called the development of the Canon. It goes through quite a process, different Bishops and Church Fathers accepted certain books, but not other books. Ultimately, it was the faith of the Church that determined if these books were to be accepted. We usually think about the faith as coming from the Bible, but this idea comes from the Protestant reformation. Luther's notion of Sola Scriptura is not scriptural. Nowhere in the Bible does the Bible say that it is the rule of faith. Rather, it was the rule of faith that preceded the Bible, judged the Bible, and accepted the Bible that we have. And one key dimension to this process of judgment was the liturgy. One of the criteria for admission into the canon was use in the sacred Liturgy. So even from the earliest days of the Church the Scriptures were a part of the Liturgy. In fact, you could say that the Bible was born in the Liturgy.

Justin Martyr was killed in about 165 AD. He wrote about early liturgy:

On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.

The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits.

When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.

Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.

When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.

Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren.

He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.

When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'

When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted" bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.

There was no Bible like we have it today, but they were reading prophets and memoirs of the apostles. I think one could make the case that the production of the Gospels may have been owed to the fact that the Church needed the stories about Jesus for the celebration of liturgy. If the liturgy is the celebration and proclamation of the mystery of Christ, and if the mystery of Christ is the reconciliation that comes from God, completed in worship, then the Bible must be about the reconciliation that comes from God that is completed in worship. I think we often think of the Bible as being about the mystery of Christ: it tells us about Jesus and the good news, but do we see it as an act of worship. I think that very often we do not think the Bible itself as worship, which is to our detriment. The Bible is not simply a book about God, it is a book by God. It is the mystery of Christ, which always leads to worship. Let's take a quick look at the letter to the Romans to see what I mean.

Now you might think it is interesting that I will use Romans as an example. Many people think of this as Paul's great act of theology. But, I want to show that while Paul is writing about Christ, the letter is liturgical at heart. In other words, it proclaims the mystery of Christ, but it finds its fulfillment in liturgical expression of worship. In Romans 1, 6, 8, and 12, Paul relies upon experiential language. The process he outlined in those chapters is one of conversion, and one that closely follows not only Paul's personal life, but the very life of Christ. If the letter to the Romans is Paul's gospel in written form, then his gospel is not a series of intellectual arguments, but it is a life lived in response to an experience of Jesus Christ. Not only is the encounter with Jesus experiential, but the results are experiential as well if we consider that the consequence of meeting Jesus is to live like he did: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Romans contains theological language, but this language is a vehicle for Paul to communicate his experience of Jesus.

I would like to share with you the insight of Beverly Roberts Gaventa. This scripture scholar has an interesting take on the letter to the Romans. Often considered a theological treatise, Romans certainly qualifies for the first movement of scripture, the edifying or sanctifying side of things. But, is Romans liturgical, does it move us to prayer? She contends "that Romans is not to be characterized solely by the movement 'beyond' prayer or celebration [i.e. religious experience], but that the letter also reflects the move from theology to experience, particularly by the movement from critical reflection to doxology."

In Romans 1, Paul writes that the "wrath of God is revealed against godlessness and unrighteousness (Rom 1:18)." The cause for the outpouring of this wrath is instructive: "although they knew God, they did not glorify (evdo,xasan) him as God or give him thanks (Rom 1:21)." Gaventa points out that this wrath of God is one of the reasons Paul wished to write to the Romans, for he wanted to be sure that they gave right worship, glory, to God. To think of Romans as purely theological would miss this important point.

Gaventa then explores the Christ-event in Romans as a way of overcoming that wrath. She writes, "when the letter turns to the consequences of the Christ event, it also turns to expressions of praise and thanksgiving." Gaventa shows that Paul's thanksgiving in 6:17-18 summarizes all he said in 5:12-6:23: "Thanks be to God that you, who were slaves of Sin, have now become genuinely obedient to the type of teaching to which you were handed over, having been freed from Sin, you have become slaves of righteousness." While this is a statement of thanksgiving, which would fall under the heading of worship, i.e. religious experience, it captures the theological mystery of the new life of righteousness found in Christ that frees us from slavery to sin.

Paul hoped, as shown by Gaventa, that his explanation of his experience would itself lead to the praise and worship of God. Paul did not hope to write an air-tight defense of Christianity. Rather, he hoped that through his life and ministry others might walk in the newness of life that he experienced through his encounter with the Risen Christ. The pinnacle of this walking was found in Romans 12:21: "Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good." The peak of religious experience is a love of God so powerful that it becomes love. Another word for this is Liturgy. So, I hope I have made the case that Liturgy is Scriptural, and Scripture is Liturgical.

Time permitting the following passages from Romans could be explored to prove that scripture and liturgy seem to have the same goal, sanctification and worship:

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel,

for the Gospel is the power (du,namij) of God to the salvation of all who believe,

to the Jew first and then the Greek.

For the righteousness (dikaiosu,nh) of God is revealed in it from faith to faith,

just as it was written: "The righteous one will live through faith."

1Therefore there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:

3 do you not know that

all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death,

so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

just so also we might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have become united with a likeness of his death,

Then so shall we be (by likeness) of his resurrection.

6 We know this, that our old human self (a;nqrwpoj) was co-crucified

in order that the body of sin might be made powerless

and we might no longer be a slave to sin.

a: 7 For the one who dies is made free (dedikai,wtai) from sin

b: 8: but if we died with Christ,

b': we believe that we will also live with him

a': 9 Since we know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more,

death has no longer rules over him 10 for he died, he died once to sin.

But he lives, he lives for God

11 So you too must consider yourselves dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

12 So, sin must not, then, rule (basileue,tw) in your mortal body, so as to obey its desires.

13 Do not give over your members as weapons of wickedness,

but give yourselves over to God as if coming to life out of death

and your members as weapons of the righteousness of God.

14 for sin will not rule over you,

for you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 8

b: 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

has freed you from the law of sin and of death.

3For that which the law was unable to do in its weakened state because of the flesh,

God sent his own son the likeness of sinful flesh (to do),

and, on account of sin, condemned sin in the flesh

4in order that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us

who do not walk around according to the flesh

but according to the Spirit.

c: 5For those who are according to the flesh think of things of the flesh,

but those of the Spirit, (think of) the spiritual things.

6For the way of thinking of the flesh is death,

but the way of thinking of the Spirit is life and peace.

7 The aim of the flesh is hostile to God,

for it does not submit to the law of God, for it is unable.

8And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

d: 9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit,

if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you.

But if someone does not have the spirit of Christ, this one is not of him.

10But if Christ is in you,

the body (is) dead because of sin,

but the spirit (is) life because of righteousness.

11If the Spirit of the one who raised Christ from the dead lives in you,

the one who raised Christ from the dead will make living also your mortal bodies

through the same spirit dwelling in you

e: 12So then brothers we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.

13For if you live according to the flesh you are about to die.

But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14For as many as are led by the spirit are sons of God.

15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery (which would send you back) back into fear,

but you received a spirit of adoption in which we cry out: "Abba Father."

16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

17But if children, also heirs, heirs of God, and fellowheirs with Christ,

if in fact we suffer with him so that we might also be glorified.

1 I beg you, then, brothers

through the mercies of God,

to hand over (parasth/sai) your bodies as a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God which is a form of worship.

2 And do not conform yourselves to this age,

but betransformed (metamorfou/sqe) by the renewal of your mind (noo.j)

so that you discover what is the will of God, the good, and pleasing, and perfect.

B: 3 For, I say to every one of you

by the grace given to me

not to think of himself higher than he ought to think,

but think soundly,

as God has assigned a measure of faith to each.

4 For just as in one body

we have many parts,

but all the parts do not have the same function

5 In this way,

many though we are we are one body in Christ,

but individual parts of each other,

6 And having charismata according to the excellent grace given to us,

if prophecy, according to the right proportion of faith,

7 If service, in serving,

if teaching, in teaching

8 If urging, in urging,

if giving, in sincerity;

if ruling, with zeal;

if mercy, in cheerfulness

C: 9 Love is genuine.

Hating the evil,

joining together in the good

10 Loving one another in brotherly love,

outdoing one another in respect

11 Not being lazy in zeal,

burning with the spirit,

being slaves of the Lord,

12 Rejoicing in hope,

enduring in tribulation,

adhering to prayer

13 Sharing in the needs of the holy ones,

Pursue (persecute) hospitality

D: 14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

15 Rejoice with the one who rejoices.

Weep with the one who weeps.

16 Think the same thing about one another,

not focusing on the exalted, but accommodating yourselves to the lowly (thinking).

Do not make yourselves out to be wise people (fro,nimoi).

17 Paying not an evil for an evil,

having regard for the beautiful before (in the sight of) all men.

18 if possible, to the extent that it is up to you, living peacefully with all people,

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints. Today we remember all those who have been found victorious, those who have been washed clean in the blood of the lamb. Today we honor God our Father who is glorified through his work in the Saints. Today we remember all those whose lives of virtue and holiness have won for them the rewards of eternal life. We are inspired by their example, and aided by their prayers. All you holy men and women pray for us.

While we celebrate the feast of all the saints, we are reminded that sainthood is not the vocation of a select few. Rather, we are all called to be holy, we are all called to be saints. In fact, there are only two options: either to be a saint, or not to be a saint. To be a saint means to be with God in this life and in the life to come, not to be a saint means to be distant from God in this life and in the life to come. That's it, there are no other options. There is no middle ground, either you are a saint or you are not. To be a saint means an eternity of happiness being with the God who loves us, not to be a saint means an eternity doomed to our own selfishness, pride, and sinfulness. If given the choice, who would choose the latter? But, every day we are given the choice, and when we sin we are choosing not to be a saint. To seek virtue and holiness means to seek sainthood, something we should be seeking every day.

But, when we think about the saints, it can be somewhat depressing. We see these great models of holiness: Mother Teresa picking up the destitute in Calcutta, John Paul II and his courageous witness to the dignity of the human person, St. Francis and his love of poverty and the poor, St. Therese of Liseaux, who loved others even in the small things. The list goes on and on. When I think of these great saints, I get a little down: how am I supposed to be a saint? I am a sinner, I struggle and I fall, even if I true to do those things that the saints did, I find that I cannot do it. But, that's ok!

Saints do not become saints because of their own effort. No one can become a saint on their own. Rather, we become saints not because of something we do, but because of something that God does. It is the power of the cross made present in our world that makes saints. All of the saints you can think of, they lived their great lives, not because of their own power, but because of the power of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes saints. Rather than depress us, this should give us great hope, because the same Holy Spirit that made John Paul II great, is present to you. The same Holy Spirit that helped St Francis will come to your aid. The power to become saints does not come from us, but it is available to us.

What, then, is the difference between a sinner who becomes a saint and a sinner that remains isolated from God? This is a question I want each of you to ponder. Because all of us are sinners, but we should all want to be saints. In my opinion, the difference between a sinner who becomes a saint and a sinner who remains isolated is openness. Are you open to God? Do you allow God into your life? Do you allow God to direct you in your daily actions? Do you listen to the voice of God, do you trust him, love him, want to be with him? Do I come to him here in this Eucharist to receive the strength I need in my life? Or is God on the backburner, do you try to keep God out? If we let God in, he will do amazing things, we will become saints! If we keep him out, it will be the biggest tragedy we can imagine. So I leave you with a question: do you want to be a saint?